Before and AFTER!!!

This is what our front yard looked like most of the summer. :(

This is what our side yard looked like most of the summer. :(

This is what our front yard looked like on Friday

This is what we had planned for our Saturday fun.

And with a little help from some people we go to church with;

This is what our front yard looks like now!

 

and the side yard!

We still have some work to do, with edging, creating beds, and planting new bushes, but as you can see from the pictures, it is a HUGE improvement!

Jayden goes Camping

Our ward had a camping trip this weekend and Rob and I decided to take Jayden along for the fun.  We camped at Zion’s Camp which is a a church camp site on the peninsula.  They have a ton of things for families to do there and Jayden experienced a lot of firsts.  I, unfortunately forgot my camera, so you’ll have to settle for the not so great pictures taken with my cell phone camera. 

Jayden and Rob set up a tent when we first got to camp.

Jayden was excited about sleeping in a tent and did great.  We went to bed around 10:30 and he was sound asleep by 10:31. No joke!  He asked me to zip him up, 30 sec later I asked him a question and there was absolutely no response.  He was out cold.  He slept through the night and loved it.

Rob taught Jayden how to fish.  This picture was taken in the evening right after we got to the camp site.  They also went fishing on Saturday morning.  We even borrowed a paddle boat and took it out into the lake.  Rob and Jayden even caught a small fish.  The fish was on Rob’s line but he was nice enough to let Jayden real it in.  Jayden loved it.  It was a tiny fish (about 4 inches long), but still, it was a fish! 

There was a great tree fort that Jayden played in, on and around for a couple of hours. 

Rob and Jayden are at the top of the tree fort although it is really hard to see them.  No zoom on my cell phone camera. :(

Jayden on the Rob swing

Jayden on the tire swing

Jayden on the teeter-totter

He had a great time and said he loved everything about camping.  Hopefully we’ll get to take him again next year.

A Day at the Beach

Summer weather has finally found Seattle and it is HOT.  So, what do you do in a place where no one has air conditioning?  Go to the Beach of course!

I took Jayden to Golden Gardens Beach in Seattle.  This is one of my favorite places to take him because there is so much to entertain a 4 year old boy. There is real sand, rocks to climb on, a park, seagulls to feed, and a creek that runs to the Sound.  It’s next to a marina so there is a constant parade of boats going by.  There are all types of planes flying overhead and there are train tracks that go right by it with trains constantly coming through full speed with whistles blowing.  WE LOVE IT!

The New Gate

At the side of our house, we have the perfect spot to park the jet ski trailer.  Unfortunately, our Home Owners Association won’t let us park it there without a gate.  So, of course, we decided to build a gate.  Our friend Jimmy Jones brought his welding tools over and he and Rob welded a medal frame together.

The boys hard at work:

Before:

After:

 

A few more pics for Rob’s Mom:

We’re both pretty happy with the way things turned out.

Indian Food

Rob and I love Indian food.  One of our favorite Indian dishes is Butter Chicken with Naan bread.  Rob recently found a mix for butter chicken that we love to make a home and eat with rice.  Unfortunately, store bought Naan, does not even come close to the Naan they serve in the restaurants.  We have tried many store bought brands of Naan and tried to heat it, warm it, prepare it in a variety of ways, but still, its no good. 

Today I tried a recipe for making our favorite type of Naan, called Aloo Naan.  This is Naan stuffed with potatoes.  The recipe I used was from manjula’s kitchen.  The video is great and shows step by step what to do.

The Aloo Naan turned out great!  Just as good as the restaurants.  Both Rob and I loved it.  Unfortunately, it takes 4-6 hours for the dough to rise so you have to be home in the middle of the day to start making it.  I will definitely do it again, but during the school year, it may only be a meal we eat on Sundays.

Dough balls and potato stuffing.  You flatten out the dough balls and place the stuffing in the middle and then pull the dough around the stuffing, similar to a dumpling. 

Stuffed dough balls. 

Rolled Naan ready for the oven.

Aloo Naan, fresh out of the Oven.  Delicious! 

We froze some of the cooked Naan.  The recipe makes six Naan, which is way to much for Rob and I to eat.  We’ll see how the frozen Naan turns out next time.

Mount Rainier

A Sunny Day in Seattle is beautiful. When you are in a place where you get a view of “The Mountain” it truly is breathtaking.  Rob has a friend named Shawn, who works at Microsoft.  Shawn is from China, and working over here for a few months.  He is the most eager to learn, experience, and try anything person that I have ever met.  Rob and I got the idea to take him to Mount Rainier.  Shawn brought a few of his friends along for the adventure. 

We had a great time exploring the mountain, hiking through the snow, taking pictures, and enjoying an American Buffett.  Here are some of the picks from our adventure. 

I didn’t exactly dress for a hike through the snow.

Dustin, Rob and Shawn.  With these three together, there’s never a dull moment. 

Why We Love Whistler

Rob and I have been to Whistler twice so far this summer.  We are hoping to make it up there at least once more.  The main reason we go is for the Mountain Biking, but there are many reasons why we love Whistler.  Here are a few:

THE VIEWS.  Everywhere you look there is another amazing view.  Beautiful mountains, trees, lakes, blue sky.  It really is breathtaking.

BIKE/CHAIR LIFTS.  We load the bikes on the special lift built to hold bikes.  We then ride the chair up directly behind the bikes.  At the top, there are lifties who take the bikes off for us and then off we go to speed down another trail (Rob at a slightly faster speed than me.  I’m working on it…).  The lifts make miles and miles of amazing runs accessible.

THE TRAILS.  Whistler is a Mecca for downhill mountain bikers.  There are easy, intermediate, and expert trails.  There are so many to choose from, you never get bored and always have the chance to try and learn something new.

THE SNOW.  Even in the summer, there is still snow on the mountain.  Whistler does a great job of getting all of the trails open as soon as possible, even if that means plowing paths through the snow.

THE MUD.  A perfect day of biking is one that is overcast and has just rained.  That way the trails are nice and tacky for the bikes. 

THE FOOD.  Sharing these delicious nachos is one of our favorite lunches. Whistler has a ton of restaurants to choose from.

THE BEARS.  These guys had a hard time getting across the trail because there were so many bikers.  We yelled at bikers to stop.  Mom poked her head out across the trail several times to “look both ways” and make sure it was safe to cross.  Once Mom realized it was safe, she and her cub ran across the trail to safety.  We see several bears every time we go up.

One thing we don’t love about our trips to Whistler is the border crossing on the way back into the United States.  Although it is beautifully landscaped, sometimes the wait can be hours long.  On our last trip, the wait was killer.  Rob decided to stretch out on the grass and play a little DS as I inched forward in the car.  Even knowing we face long waits on our return trip, we still think going up to Whistler is worth it. 

Whistler!  We love it and we're glad we get several opportunities every year to go up there, whether its biking in the summer or skiing in the winter.